One Minute Too Late
by Lady.Maud.from.Catsburg
Summary: AU-AH. BxE. One-Shot. Good fortune and destiny were working slowly when it came to Isabella Swan, and she got tired of waiting. But then… Fate knocks on her door. Will it be too late for her to change her life, or will it be on time? T for dark subjects


This idea came up while deep in thought about life and it's darkest times. It's the first story I write that has a moral in it so... Let's see how that turns out.

I think it's a pretty clear lesson, but I'll clear it up for everyone at the end anyway.

Well I won't hold you up for much longer. Read on!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight saga, -_snorts-_** I wish**. Stephenie does, obviously.

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**One Minute Too Late.**

**By Cacheli.**

_Sick._

Completely, absolutely, and definitely_ sick_ of it all. Isabella Swan was sitting in her empty apartment, her legs folded beneath her and her hands pressed against her closed eyes, causing her head to ache lightly and spin.

Another sigh escaped her lips. And then another, and another.

She pulled her hands from her face and her blurry gaze fixated in the dark night. A light breeze blew through the open window of her apartment and ruffled her dark hair. Oh how she wish she were free. Free like her breath, like the wind that blew through the window. Free of worries and problems. Free.

She sighed again, her warm brown eyes looking down now, to the big, silverish-blue light of the moon that invaded the cream rugged bedroom and bathed her in its light.

"Free." She mumbled, tangling her fingers nervously.

As she kept fidgeting in place, still sitting under the moonlight with her long legs folded beneath her and her gaze on the cream rug of the room, her mind was deep in thought. Her body was there, but her head was million of miles away.

She suffered yet _another_ disappointment today. It was like a broken record, always playing the same part, no matter what she did to change it, the record was already broken, and she would always hear the repeat of one line, nothing else.

Some years ago, when she decided to find a place on her own, a _life_ of her own, she also decided that nothing was more important than following her dreams. Her family didn't even know she existed, she had lived her whole life in an orphanage, and the day she turned 18, she found her way out. Friends, she had none –at least not _true_ friends– and lover… She tried that for a while, but it was like playing that broken record all the time. Guys where just not worth it.

So today, currently existing in her 24 years and 2 weeks and a half old, she took a life turning decision.

After her parents left her, as a baby, in the orphanage, she decided that if they didn't want her, then she wouldn't want them either, therefore she would not loose her time looking for them, and she didn't.

After being dumped, cheated, and abused by her elections of life partners, she decided not to fall in love again, and she hadn't since.

All she had left were her friends. They weren't the best friends, except for one of them, Juliette, a girl from the orphanage that attended then to her same college. She was an awesome person and Isabella was sure to consider her a _real_ friend.

And then, after Juliette scammed her and left her with nothing more than her own shadow, she found herself alone, with nothing at all to fight for.

No _family_, no _love_, no _friends_.

Juliette was the only light in the darkest room, and she unscrewed the light bulb and took it away.

Leaving Isabella alone with darkness.

With fear, self-pity, scepticism and hurt.

She was tired of pulling it together, blow after blow. So, determined, she made her final decision.

She untangled her fingers and pushed her hands in the pocket of her grey hoodie. Her fingertips touched the cold metal and sent shivers down her spine. She pulled the semi out and inspectioned it.

Sometime down in the orphanage she overheard that her father was a police officer. So when she got out, she had a pull that almost obligated her to learn how to handle a gun. After learning and obtaining her license to possess one, she realized it was useless, since she had no intention of meeting her father whatsoever.

But now, she realized what that pull had been. She'd known all the time that this was going to be her end. Her sick destiny had it all prepared for her.

She sighed and prepared the trigger.

_Click._

She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and placed the cold metal pipe of the gun beneath her jaw.

The cold sent shivers down her spine again and she started sweating cold, but that didn't change her mind.

_Click_. The semi reverberated again beneath her slender fingers as she pulled the safety catch off.

She thought about saying something, leaving behind a note, but… Who would care?

She took a last glance at the full, white, beautiful moon, and again, she was reminded of the broken record.

_Well, this__ is it. The moment I pull the record out and throw it away. _

Her index finger made the tenderest, slowest pressure on the trigger. She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw.

_1_,

_2_,

**_3_**…

_Knock–knock._

_BANG! _The explosion of the gun hurt her ears.

"Finally, Free." She breathed closing her eyes for the last time at the same moment her ears caught a loud _slam_ and a bloodcurdling scream.

---

**EPOV**

"Alice, I'm arriving. What you said your apartment number was?" I asked as I speeded in my silver Volvo down the highway.

Oh, Alice. Dear, dear Alice. My beloved sister has just moved from her old place and called me, may I add _in the middle of the night_, to ask for my help for moving in.

When I asked her why she didn't ask me before, she said she didn't need help from me before. Typically Alice.

Her squealing pulled me out of my thinking.

"4 D, Edward! I told you zillions of times already!" she huffed, annoyed.

"Okay, I'll be right there. Bye Alice."

"Buh-bye." _Click._

I shut my phone off, shaking my head. Geez… Beloved sister.

---

I reached the apartment building, and after parking, I walked up the steps to the entrance and the doorman opened the door for me.

"Yes?" He asked

"I came to see my sister, Alice Cullen." I stepped inside.

"Oh!" The old man smiled warmly. "Yes, yes. I know who you refer to. Quite a hyper young lady."

I laughed as I reached the elevator and pushed the up button. "Yeah that's her."

As I got in, I heard the doorman's voice. "You know the number of the apartment, right? It's–" And the doors closed in my face.

No problem, I knew the number apartment. Alice repeated it to me a _zillion_ times before –notice the sarcasm.

The silver doors opened in the fourth floor and I walked up to my sister's apartment. The music was blasting behind another door and I rolled my eyes. Trust Alice to pick the place with the worst neighbours.

I knocked in my sister's apartment door; apartment 4 B, wondering if she would hear me with all the noise coming from the other–

_B__ANG!_

The loud and distinctive explosion of a gun froze my blood and sent an adrenaline rush trough my entire body. My foot kicked the door open when the explosion wasn't even over. My head hadn't yet registered anything but one only thought.

_Alice._

"Finally, Free." The sinfully beautiful voice of a girl alleged from beneath the silverish-blue moonlight projected in the cream rug of the apartment. My eyes set in her just in time to see her fall on the floor lifeless, her eyes closed.

A noise erupted in my ears and made my head ache.

It took me a while to figure out it was my own rough, hoarse voice, screaming my lungs out.

I ran to the girl, she was limp.

A semi-automatic fell from her right hand as I took her unfeeling body in my arms.

My eyes stung with tears and my voice was still hoarse.

"No, no, no…" I pleaded, vainly. The shot was lethal.

"What have you done?" I cried to the beautiful image of the stranger, cooing her in my arms, crying helplessly… Though the reason of my tears escaped my mind completely.

---

My hands were still bathed in blood, _her_ blood when we reached the morgue. Alice was right by my side, pale as a sheet of paper, her lips blue and her eyes wide, shivering lightly. She was the second person to enter the scene, finding me sitting in the floor with the beautiful girl in my arms, crying my heart out.

The doorman identified her as Isabella Swan.

_Bella._

Being a medical forensic was a good profession right now.

"Edward." Christopher, one of my colleagues recognized me as I stepped inside the building with the stretchers that were pulling Isabella's dull body inside one of the rooms.

Alice was trembling by my side as I nodded at him. I looked at her and turned back to him.

"Take Alice to the vending machine. She need's something to calm her nerves."

"What happened?" Christopher asked, eyeing my sister worriedly. We knew each other for years.

"She… she…" Alice stuttered. A tear ran down her cheek, her eyes were turning red and puffy. I realized my own eyes were surely in the same if not worse state.

I sighed, my voice shivering. "Alice's neighbour killed herself…" I eyed Alice too. "And we saw it happen."

"Jesus, Edward. Are you okay?" He asked.

I nodded. "Please, take her and give her something to drink. Make sure to call Jasper and let him know. I'm sure she'll want him close right now." Seeing someone die shook people up all the time, my sister would not be different.

Christopher nodded and led Alice towards another room. I walked into the morgue were Isabella's body covered by a blanket was. I stood in the threshold, ogling the still figure on the metal table.

My eyes stung once again.

And I still had no idea **why** I cried.

After washing my hands in the sink, I dragged my feet towards the old CPU in the room and researched for any kind of information about Isabella, _Bella_, Swan.

She was an orphan. Her father died a few years ago in a shooting during work hours, he was the chief of police in Forks, Washington. Her mother was still alive, but there was no information from her whereabouts that I could find. I sighed and switched off the computer.

I stood and walked towards the table. I pulled the sheet off of her beautiful face and looked at her. Her skin was pale and I wondered if that was the product of her current state or if she was pale before.

I decided the alabaster skin was normal for her, since fumbled, blurry images of when I found her danced in front of my eyes. I was still in shock when that happened, so I couldn't make much off of it.

Her lips were still rosy and her peaceful heart-shaped face was truly endearing. She was gorgeous. I wonder why she did it?

I caressed her cheek with feather touch, my hand trembling. She was still warm.

Oh, beautiful creature, what made me find you?

I looked out the glass wall of the morgue towards the room where Alice was sitting with Christopher. She was crying helplessly and sobbing with a fuming cup of something between her little pixie hands. Christopher was eyeing her warily and talking to her.

Isabella had a better look than Alice's right now. Alice was shivering, pale, her lips blue, her eyes wide and red and puffy.

I sighed and looked back down at Isabella. Her skin, though starting to get unhealthily pale, was still warm, her full lips pulled lightly in the corners onto a pink little smile, her face peaceful, as if she was just in the most tranquil of slumbers. She was so beautiful…

Maybe I was supposed to find her. But then what? If I was supposed to find her what was I supposed to do now? She was gone. No matter how many tears I or my sister cry, Bella was not going to come back.

And what if I had found her a minute earlier? If I knocked mistakenly on her door only a minute earlier…

Would I've been able to stop her?

Would we've become friends and then, who knows, maybe something else?

Would she have met Alice and befriend her too?

And Alice's boyfriend Jasper, my brother Emmett, his fiancée Rosalie, and our parents Esme and Carlisle?

An image struck me.

Isabella and I, standing in a church decorated in white and cream. She, dressed in a glistening white dress and I in a black tuxedo.

My family was surrounding us; my parents in the first seat, Alice and Rose standing at Isabella's side and Jasper and Emmett standing by my side. The priest says seven wonderful words.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

I smile down at Isabella. All I can see is her devastating smile back at me. I whisper,

"I love you, Isabella."

She grins. Her rosy lips part and her singing voice comes out.

"_Finally, Free._"

I snapped out of my trance and Isabella's words echoed painfully in my head.

_Finally, Free._

I looked down at her gorgeous doll face and caressed her still warm, silky cheek.

If only I had arrived earlier… Who knows what could've happened?

I sighed, tears streaming down my face again, pointlessly.

I kissed her forehead and pulled the sheet up once again.

I could've been the one that stayed by her side forever, I could've been her friend, her love, her family. If only…

If, _if_, _**if**_…

Guess we'll never know now.

I arrived one minute,

One miserable minute too_ late_.

* * *

It's not really a good call,  
even when it seems so right.  
If you end your own life,  
you're just giving up the fight.

Don't be foolish,  
you have still much to live for.  
Don't rush, everything you want  
may be just about to show.

**Moral**: Well, we all know what would've happened if she met Edward and the Cullens... It would've been everything she wanted... Friends, Family, and Love. So, the final assumption is:

Don't give up hope, everything can change in a bit,  
just give life another _one minute_...


End file.
